Trailer steering control device



w. l.. LANGEHENNIG 3,186,733

TRAILER STEERING CONTROL DEVICE June 1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 10, 1963 W////a//7 L. afygee/M/g INVENTOR BY M mfg-1r ATTORNEY June l, 1965 w. L .,LANGEHENNIG 3,186,733

TRAILER STEERING CONTROL DEVICE Filed April 1o, 196s 2 sheets-sheet 2 wf//fam L cmyeenn/g INVENTOR.

BY /w mn ATTORNEY United States Patent O TRAILER STEERING CONTROL DEVICE William L. Langellennig, Pasadena, Tex. (716 W. Ave. C, Killeen, Tex.)

Filed Apr. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 272,130 4 Claims. (Cl. 280-446) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a trailer control device.

-It is an object of this invention to provide means for controlling the direction of movement of a trailer when being drawn by another vehicle.

In present practice, four wheel trailers adapted to be towed behind other vehicle are very diiicult to control in reverse movement of the trailer, the point of pressure on the front wheels being forward of the axle. It is an object of this invention to provide means for shifting the point of pressure to the rear of the axle in reverse movement of the trailer, thus allowing the control of the direction of turn of the front wheels and in turn controlling the movement of the trailer.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts more particularly deiined in the following specications and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

lFIGURE 1 is a top plan View of a four wheel trailer, showing the control mechanism mounted thereon.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view, partially in cross section, of the control mechanism in forward movement position.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevational view partially in cross section, of the control mechanism in rearward movement position, and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged front elevational fragmentary View, partially in cross section, of the axle and wheel.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a trailer framework having rear wheels 2, 2 and front wheels 3, 3. The front wheels 3, 3 are pivotally mounted on the axle 4 by the usual king pin assembly Z2.

A bearing 6, suspended from the framework 1, supports the axle 4, on which the usual king pins 22 are mounted, and a tie rod 5 connects the king pins 22 of the two front wheels.

A trailer tongue having the side members 8, S, which are mounted on the cross member and extend from a point adjacent the front end of the framework 1, and are connected to their other ends to the tubular housing 9, which is connected to the towing vehicle by the usual hitch 14. The housing 9 is anchored to the cross member 10 which is pivotally mounted on the framework 1 and a shaft 11 extends through the housing 9 and has the collar 12 adjacent one end and the collar 13 adjacent the other end. A connecting arm 15 is pivotally mounted on the end of the shaft 11 opposite the end having the hitch 14, and the other end of the connecting arm 15 is connected to the lug 17 by means of the pivotal link 18.

A suitable locking means, such as the spring loaded latch 19, meshing with a chamber 20 in the shaft 11, locks the shaft 11 against rearward movement except when the latch is released by means of the cable 21.

When the towing Vehicle (not shown) is pulling the trailer forwardly, the shaft 11 will be in the position shown in FIGURE 2 with the latch 19 locking the shaft 11 against rearward movement while the towing vehicle is being braked, and the like, and the lug 17 will be in the position shown in FIGURE 2, with the pulling pressure point P forward of the axle 4 so that application of pressure to the shaft 11 to the right or left will readily cause the wheels to tur-n in the direction of the pressure. When it is desired to move the trailer in a reverse di- 3,185,733 Patented June 1, 1965 ICC rection, the latch 19 is released and the rearward move, ment of the towing vehicle will move the shaft 11 rear-, wardly through the housing 9, moving the connecting arm 15 and lug 17 rearwardly, rotating the axle 4, king pins 22, and tie rod 5 to the position P-1 shown in FIG- URE 3, shifting the point of pressure to the rear of the axle 4 so that the application of pressure by the towing vehicle to the shaft 11 to the right or left will cause the wheels 3, 3 to follow the direction of pressure.

With the shaft 11 locked in forward position, the king pins 22 are tilted to position the pressure point forward of the vertical axis of the wheels, which will cause the wheels to respond to the pull of the shaft 11 in the direction of the pulling force. When the pressure point is changed by releasing the latch 19 and permitting the axle to rotate to the position where the tilt of the king pins, move the pressure point to the rear of the Vertical axis of the wheels, the pulling force is reversed and the Wheels again follow the direction of force exertion.

While the foregoing is considered a preferred form of the invention, it is by way of illustration only, the broad principle of the invention being defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. vIn a steering control for trailers having multiple pairs of wheels, a framework, a rotating axle on said framework, front wheels pivotally and vertically mounted on said axle, king pins supporting said front wheels, a reciprocating shaft connected at one end to a towing vehicle and at the other end to said rotating axle, said `shaft maintaining said axle in one position for maintaining said king pins at a forwardly projecting inclination for the forward movement of said trailer and moving said axle to another position for maintaining said king pinS lin a rearwardly projecting inclination for the rearward movement of said trailer.

y2. In a steering control for trailers having multiple pairs of wheels, a framework, a rotatable axle mounted on one end of said framework, front Wheels mounted on said axle, king pins maintaining said wheels in rotatable relation with said axle, said king pins being mounted at an angle with relation to the ground surface to position the point of pressure extending through the longitudinal axis of said king pins forwardly of said axle when in one position and rearwardly of said axle when in another position, a depending lug on said axle extending laterally therefrom at an angle parallel with the vertically longitudinal axis of said king pins, a vertically pivotal tongue mounted on the forward end of said framework, a reciprocating shaft in said tongue having a tow hitch means at one end and a pivotal connecting arm at the other end, said connecting a-rm being pivotally anchored at one end to the extended end of the depending lug on said axle for the oscillat-ing movement of said lug.

3. yIn a steering control for trailers having multiple pairs of wheels, a framework, a rotatable axle mounted on one end of said framework, front wheels mounted on said axle, king pins vertically mounted on said axle at an angle to the ground surface, said pins placing the point of pressure on the wheel forwardly or rearwardly of the axle and maintaining said wheels in pivotal relation with said axle, a depending lug on said axle extending laterally therefrom at an angle parallel with the longitudinal axis of said king pins, a vertically pivotal tongue mounted on the forward end of said framework, a reciprocating shaft in said tongue having a hitch means at one end and a pivot-al connecting arm at the other end, said connecting arm being pivotally anchored at one end to the extended end of the depending lug on said axle and movable to reciprocate the extended end of said lug forwardly E or rearwardly of the axle, and means for locking said shaft against reciprocation.

4. In a means for controlling the direction of movement of a trailer having more than one pair of Wheels, a rotating axle upon which the front wheels `of the trailer Aare mounted, angularly mounted king pins pivotally anchoring said Wheels to said axle with the pressure point on the Wheels extending through the longitudinal axis of said king pins to a point forwardly or rearwardly of the axle depending upon the selected position of said king pins, a depending lug on said axle, said lug ldepending at an angle parallel With the axis of said king pins, a pair of tongue supports pivotally mounted on sa-id framework and extending forwardly thereof, a housing mounted on said support, a reciprocating shaft in said housing, means vadjacent each end of said shaft for limiting the movement of said shaft in said housing, a hitch means on one end of said shaft and a pivotal connecting arm on the other end of said shaft, said pivotal connecting arm being anchored to said depending lug to rotate said axle upon reciprocation of said shaft and to selectively move said king pins from one angular position with relation to the axle to another.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS y2,644,697 7/53 Peterson T. 2'80-80 2,674,463 4/ 54 Peterson 280-80 2,674,464 4/54 Peterson 280-80 PHILIP ARNOLD, Primary Examiner.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Examiner. 

1. IN A STEERING CONTROL FOR TRAILERS HAVING MULTIPLE PAIRS OF WHEELS, A FRAMEWORK, A ROTATING AXLE ON SAID FRAMEWORK, FRONT WHEELS PIVOTALLY AND VERTICALLY MOUNTED ON SAID AXLE, KING PINS SUPPORTING SAID FRONT WHEELS, A RECIPROCATING SHAFT CONNECTED AT ONE END TO A TOWING VEHICLE AND AT THE OTHER END OF SAID ROTATING AXLE, SAID SHAFT MAINTAINING SAID AXLE IN ONE POSITION FOR MAINTAINING SAID KING PINS FOR A FORWARDLY PROJECTING INCLINATION FOR THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID TAILER AND MOVING SAID AXLE TO ANOTHER POSITION FOR MAINTAINING SAID KING PINS IN A REARWARDLY PROJECTING INCLINATION FOR THE REARWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID TRAILER. 